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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29442750">A Definite Maybe</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/dandyli0n/pseuds/dandyli0n'>dandyli0n</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stray Kids (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Banter, Dating, Fluff, M/M, it's all very quaint and cute, like a HINT of angst, serial killer jokes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 17:41:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,572</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29442750</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/dandyli0n/pseuds/dandyli0n</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Chan and Changbin go on a date. Changbin may or may not be in danger, Chan's dating abilities are questioned, and secrets are revealed.</p><p>or: a little Valentine's Day BinChan in love...?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bang Chan/Seo Changbin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>72</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Definite Maybe</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Enjoy some... Changbin and Chan talking pointlessly and kissing idk maybe!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>We should do something special this weekend. Are you free?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>It seemed like a pretty innocent question, as far as Chan was concerned. Changbin could basically hear the little giggle that always came with Chan saying something a bit over the top through his phone, and it made his heart so fond that he couldn't say anything but </span>
  <em>
    <span>yes</span>
  </em>
  <span> in response.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn't really expect "something special" to mean much. It had only been a few weeks since they had finally admitted to each other that they were interested in each other as more than just friends, in the aftermath of a drunken hook-up at Jeongin's birthday party. Chan had only taken him on a really chill coffee date since then, and did nothing but ask him a bunch of questions and hug him differently than he usually would that day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So when he walked out of his apartment building to meet Chan only to find him clearly dressed up - was that </span>
  <em>
    <span>make-up? </span>
  </em>
  <span>- it took him by surprise. Sure, he tried to dress nice, too, he put on a blazer and a nice cologne and everything, but Chan's smile was framed by lips too red to be natural, and Changbin was struck dumb by how beautiful he was just then, making him wonder how it took him years to realize maybe Chan could be more than just a friend to him. Past him was stupid, but present him was more than ready to make up for his mistake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hi."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You look great."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His own thoughts being reflected back at him made Changbin blush and look away, shifting where he stood. "I look like I'm getting ready for an arctic expedition." In his defense, the weather didn't really give him any other choice than to wear a thick coat and a fluffy scarf, not unless Chan was worth freezing his ass off for him, and Changbin wasn't ready to make that kind of commitment yet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan laughed, the puffs of air clearly visible in front of his mouth in the freezing air. "Maybe, but it's a good look on you. You look soft. Like a teddy bear."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey!" Changbin shouted and shoved at Chan, who had dissolved into a full-on giggle fit. "If you came here to make fun of me, i can go right back upstairs."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It just made Chan laugh harder, and Changbin made a helpless sound before walking towards the front door of his apartment complex. Chan grabbed his hand, still giggling, but holding onto his steadily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Come on, Binnie. I'll make it up to you. I have something great planned for us, i swear."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He met Chan's eyes, all sparkly and earnest, clearly still amused but there was something else in them, something so soft that it made him swallow hard as the feeling of it tugged at his chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Alright. You're getting one more chance. But you're so not getting laid tonight." It came out sounding like the biggest lie he had ever said in his life, but he chose to ignore that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan laced their fingers instead of even pretending to be offended. "You were planning on fucking on the second date? I didn't know you were that kind of guy."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I didn't know you were the kind of guy to fuck before a </span>
  <em>
    <span>first date</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but here we are."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The face Chan makes makes it clear that his ears are burning under his hat, but he meets Changbin's eyes anyway. "Maybe you're just special."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now Changbin's the one fighting a blush, and he bites his lip hard to keep his face under control. "I already agreed to go on this date with you, you don't have to pull this cheesy shit on me."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan's mouth tugged slightly upwards, like he was fighting a grin. "And if I mean it?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan let the words hang between them, watching Changbin who just stared back dumbly. He was just messing around, right? They didn't really have feelings for each other or anything. They were just two single dudes who were attracted to each other and knew they got along well after years of friendship. Chan was just throwing shit out there to make him blush. Right?</span>
</p><p><span>"Come on," Chan was the one to break their little moment, tugging at Changbin’s hand and leading him to the car, actually </span><em><span>opening the door for him</span></em><span> because </span><em><span>of course</span></em> <em><span>he would</span></em><span>. “Or we’ll miss the sunset.”</span></p><p>
  <span>Changbin blinked at him, simultaneously appreciating Chan breaking the awkward silence and still reeling from it. “Wait, where are we going?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a surprise, just get in already.” The look in Chan’s eyes was steady, the same look that made Changbin follow him into way stupider ventures than a surprise date before. “Trust me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He still rolled his eyes for good measure before getting into the car, though. “Should I share my location with Felix just in case you turn out to have been a serial killer this whole time?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan got into the driver’s seat and tilted his head as he fastened his seatbelt. “If I’m a serial killer, isn’t Felix the one most likely to be my accomplice, though?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re really not helping your case right now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He can see Chan’s eyes scrunch up with another brilliant smile as he adjusts his rear view mirror. “I didn’t know us going on dates made me an untrustworthy person all of a sudden.” At least he didn’t sound hurt, or look hurt when he looked over at Changbin. “If it helps, the place I’m taking you has security cameras.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you scoped it out beforehand?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Will you stop being a smartass if I let you be in charge of the music on the way there?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Changbin grinned at him. “Anything to stop you from playing Ed Sheeran again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan sighed, but handed over the cord so Changbin could plug his own phone into the sound system. He hesitated right afterwards, watching Chan’s profile as he started the car up and pulled out of his parking spot. Should he just put the music he knows they both like on? But hip-hop wasn’t exactly date music - they weren’t just </span>
  <em>
    <span>hanging out</span>
  </em>
  <span> this time. It was too early for bedroom jams, and playing something </span>
  <em>
    <span>romantic</span>
  </em>
  <span> would make this situation even weirder than it already was, being stuck in one car with Chan, suddenly all too aware of everything that was attractive and loveable about him now that he was seeing him in this new context, now that it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>okay</span>
  </em>
  <span> to see him as more than just a friend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was Chan looking over at him questioningly at a stop light that finally had him scrolling through his playlist, deciding on a song and laying the phone on the console as it started playing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Almost immediately, it forced a laugh out of Chan, who shook his head incredulously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Seriously?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Changbin gave him a smug grin as the first few chords of </span>
  <em>
    <span>Creep</span>
  </em>
  <span> filled the car.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's good music to get murdered to."</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Wait." Changbin looked around, confused, as Chan pulled into the parking lot of a high-rise building. "This is an apartment building."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yup."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"But this is not your place."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Nope." Chan parked, and looked over at him with a grin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"If </span>
  <em>
    <span>something special</span>
  </em>
  <span> is a threesome, i want my money back."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It made Chan laugh so hard he bent over, but Changbin still watched him with distrust. Once Chan noticed, he wiped at his eyes and put a hand on Changbin's thigh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's not a threesome, I promise. It's my friend's place, okay? He let me borrow his apartment for this."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Changbin frowned. "Why would you take me to someone else's place for a date? Who lets their friend take their date to their apartment?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan looked worried, teeth nibbling at his bottom lip. "It'll make sense if you come up with me?" He chuckled, a little awkward. "He didn't </span>
  <em>
    <span>want</span>
  </em>
  <span> to let me take you there, but he owed me a huge favor and i promised I wasn't going to have sex on his bed."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What's so great about this apartment that you'd cockblock yourself to take me there?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a sigh, Chan checked his watch. "You won't find out if we don't get our asses out of the car."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Changbin hoped that Chan realized that the fact that he actually undid his seatbelt and opened the car door was one of the biggest compliments he had ever given him. "You suck at this dating thing, you know. Next time I'm picking the location."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan gave him another brilliant smile over the roof of his car. "So I'm already guaranteed a next time?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I still have </span>
  <em>
    <span>some</span>
  </em>
  <span> hope to make it to the end of the night alive."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's okay to say you like me, you know, it's what people do on a date."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Changbin didn't know how Chan felt like he could say that while guiding him into some other guy's apartment building - he admired his confidence in a way, though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're not really convincing me that you're the expert on how dates are supposed to go."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan led them through the lobby to an elevator, nudging Changbin's shoulder as they waited for it to come. "I'm taking you on an </span>
  <em>
    <span>adventure</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I thought you'd like it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I like it more when I can tell what the fuck you're thinking." The problem wasn't really the unconventional part - Changbin was okay with that, but not knowing what was coming left him adrift, constantly scrambling to get as much information out of Chan as he could so he could prepare himself for what was coming.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe Chan was right, and he should just relax and trust Chan to have something good in store, but a part of him was almost afraid to leave Chan in charge of his emotions like that. The lack of control made him nervous.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Almost as if Chan heard what he was thinking, he reached out to intertwine their fingers again as the elevator dinged, looking Changbin right in the eye as he pulled him inside. “I’m thinking you look really hot tonight - and I’m thinking that you’re going to love that surprise.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This time, he didn’t sound teasing. More like steady, reassuring.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It made Changbin’s face burn, and he busied himself with taking his hat off and undoing the zipper on his coat, fixing his hair in the mirror on the wall of the elevator. Chan didn’t seem to mind the lack of response and just did the same, his eyes eventually meeting Changbin’s in the reflection, whatever he found there making another smile bloom on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once again, Changbin found himself wondering how he had gone years without wondering what that smile would feel like against his own mouth. Chan was </span>
  <em>
    <span>attractive</span>
  </em>
  <span> and Changbin had always known that, even before Jeongin’s birthday he had occasionally found himself staring at his friend, at his perfectly shaped mouth and defined muscles, but this time there was a warmth in his chest corresponding with the tingle in his gut and it made it hard not to lean over and steal a kiss right there and then.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not that Chan would probably mind being kissed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Another chime of the elevator broke through Changbin’s moment, and he followed Chan quietly into the narrow hallway with only two doors on each side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, how rich is your friend exactly?” He was aiming for teasing, but his voice came out muted, still not entirely over whatever just happened back there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan’s laugh was loud as ever. “Pretty rich. Wait till you see the inside.” He winked at him as he finished putting the code into the lock, and Changbin pointedly focused on the opening door instead to stop himself from blushing even more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He entered the apartment first, and almost stopped in his tracks immediately. The entrance opened into a spacious living area, minimalist but cozy enough, but that wasn’t the first thing that caught Changbin’s eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What he couldn’t stop staring at were the floor-length windows along one wall - they gave him a beautiful view of the river and the park stretching next to it, both bathed in the pinkish glow of the oncoming sunset, the lowering sun hidden from view where Changbin was standing right now, but he could see that if he sat in the couch facing the windows in the middle of the room, he could probably watch it go down directly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This… was this the surprise?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked over at Chan, who was leaning against the door, ears burning red again. “It’s not a rooftop restaurant with a view of the whole city, but…” he bit his lip. “Close enough?”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is this what that whole interrogation was about?” Changbin thought that back on their first date at that coffee shop, Chan had asked a million random questions because he felt awkward and thought it was a good way to get to know each other better - he had thought Chan wasn’t even really </span>
  <em>
    <span>listening</span>
  </em>
  <span> when Changbin was coming up with some not-boring way of answering the classic “what would your ideal date be” question.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t expect for Chan to take him </span>
  <em>
    <span>seriously</span>
  </em>
  <span> when he talked about getting dinner at a restaurant with a view of the city, much less </span>
  <em>
    <span>try to actually do it</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan rubbed at the back of his neck, chuckling awkwardly. “Is that what it felt like?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Honestly? Yeah.” And yet here he was, staring at Chan in wonder because he pulled favors with his rich friend just to get as close as he could to taking Changbin on his dream date.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you still went on a second date with me?” Some of the awkwardness seeped out of Chan’s face in favor of that teasing edge again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Changbin chewed on his bottom lip, watching the way the light hit Chan’s own lips. “Well, </span>
  <em>
    <span>clearly</span>
  </em>
  <span> I made the right decision.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The lips he couldn’t tear his eyes away from formed a small, warm smile. “Does that mean you like the surprise?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He finally tore his eyes away and looked at all of Chan’s face again. He looked… </span>
  <em>
    <span>happy</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Really happy. The joy on his face was almost startling. “I… yeah.” He had a biting remark on his tongue, something about how Chan could have </span>
  <em>
    <span>told</span>
  </em>
  <span> him he was taking him to his friend’s place to show him the view, but he supposed now he understood why Chan wanted to keep it a surprise. It definitely was breathtaking to see it without having expected it. Plus he couldn’t imagine wanting to wipe </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> expression off Chan’s face. “Yeah, I love it, Chan.” He licked his lips. “Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan looked even happier now, if that was possible. “It’ll look even better in about half an hour.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Changbin looked around the apartment, then gave Chan an amused look. “And what are we going to do for that half hour?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At first, Chan started taking his coat off without answering, his eyebrows raised challengingly, and Changbin’s heart jumped into this throat before Chan spoke up again. “I’ll be making you dinner.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It pulled Changbin’s mind violently from where it dropped right into the gutter just moments before, but the new thought sounded just as shocking as the previous one. “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan laughed as he hung his coat up, leaving Changbin stuck staring at his wide back in the black button-up he had on. “You said dinner with a view, so I’ll give you dinner with a view.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Changbin blinked at him. “You can </span>
  <em>
    <span>cook</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A little,” Chan shrugged, walking backwards to grin at Changbin as he walked towards the kitchen part of the living space. “I’m not about to set the kitchen of fire trying to impress you, don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And clearly Chan did - Changbin watched him roll his sleeves up, ignoring the knowing look he got when Chan noticed him staring at his exposed forearms, then pull ingredients from cabinets as he instructed Changbin to sit on a stool at the counter, offering him an opened beer to sip on while he started getting the dinner ready. He put a playlist on his phone, too, and Changbin wondered if he had spent an hour poring over his playlist making sure that he picked music Changbin wouldn’t hate, or if this date was going to get very awkward very fast.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was… pretty great, actually.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They talked about work, about Chan’s dog and Changbin’s sister, they gave each other long lingering looks as Chan fed Changbin bits and pieces of the food, letting him pull them from his fingers with his teeth, letting the silence linger between them before giving Changbin a different kind of smile - a more intimate one, but no less attractive than the brilliant one from earlier.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eventually Chan had nothing to do but wait for the food to cook, and he ended up resting on the counter opposite Changbin, nursing his own beer, painted gold by the quickly oncoming sunrise as he laughed at some stupid joke Changbin had just made.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So… is this you telling me that if I date you, I can have homemade food made for me, or did you just pull out all the stops today to make sure I’ll be back for more?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan’s laughter trailed off into a chuckle, and he looked away. “A little bit of both.” He shook his head and grinned at Changbin. “I was hoping to make up for our first date being kind of boring.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It wasn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> bad.” He said it before he could talk himself out of saying it, and ended up hiding his blush with a sip of beer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Really</span>
  </em>
  <span>? Even though I </span>
  <em>
    <span>interrogated </span>
  </em>
  <span>you?” Chan looked way too smug for Changbin’s liking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, you’re pretty cute when you shut up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Awwwww, Changbinnie~</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Chan poked at Changbin’s shoulder with a finger, and he slapped his hand away. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Thank you~</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t use your baby voice on me right now, that’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>so weird</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Who baby-talked at someone they were trying to </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan pouted at him, and Changbin hated that it was genuinely kind of adorable. “But you called me cute…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Changbin shook his head. “I can’t believe you’ve ever managed to get laid.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I had to have done </span>
  <em>
    <span>something</span>
  </em>
  <span> that worked on you at Jeongin’s party.” There he was, </span>
  <em>
    <span>normal</span>
  </em>
  <span> Chan. Won’t-let-Changbin-breathe Chan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, you got me drunk, that worked pretty well,” he responded dryly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Something in Chan’s face shifted a little but then he tilted his head at Changbin. “Were you still drunk when you agreed to the second date?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you fishing for compliments right now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan laughed, but it sounded a little forced, and he ducked his head to avoid eye contact. “I guess I want to hear that I’ve done this right.” He made eye contact again, licked his lips. “I really wanted to make today special.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was something off about him, and Changbin studied his eyes, trying to find in them whatever it was he was missing. “It’s a good date, Chan. I’m not really expecting you to try and blow me away every time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This time Chan’s smile was different again. Subdued. Maybe a little sad. “I just wanted it to be memorable. In case it’s our last.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why would it be our last?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan looked away, then briefly at Changbin before staring down at his hands. “I… uh. I have something to tell you.” He pressed his lips together, then looked up again. “I was hoping it could wait until we’re done eating.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you try to back out of telling me right now, I’m walking out on you.” Chan couldn’t just say something </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> ominous and then try to go back to just talking and flirting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan sighed and started playing with the label on his beer, but he wasn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>saying anything</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you about to tell me this is your husband’s place and you’re married?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It made Chan laugh, and some of the tension in his shoulders slowly seeped out. “No. I did help set the guy up with a friend of mine, though. That’s why he owes me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Honestly, that amused Changbin a little. “You helped him get a guy, so he helped you get a guy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The look in Chan’s eyes when he looked at Changbin was almost too intense. “I helped him get </span>
  <em>
    <span>the</span>
  </em>
  <span> guy. So he helped me get </span>
  <em>
    <span>the</span>
  </em>
  <span> guy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Changbin frowned. “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This time, Chan didn’t look away. “Thanks to me, my friend got together with the guy he had been in love with for six months, so I asked him for help getting together with the guy I’ve been in love with for a year.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It took a long time to sink in. Or rather, Changbin found it so hard to believe that he kept having to repeat Chan’s words in his head over and over again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You… what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan finally broke eye contact, letting his forehead hit the countertop between his arms. “I know this is weird. But remember when we went to that ski lodge last year for Jeongin’s birthday? When we went out to the slopes together at night?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He did remember; neither he nor Chan could sleep, so they bundled up and went for a walk together, ended up laughing hysterically and trying to shove snow under each other’s clothes until they were both cold down to their bones and then they huddled under the single fluffy blanket they had together and drank spiked chocolate until they fell asleep against each other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Changbin hadn’t had that much fun in a long time. It still brought a blush to his face, to think that while he was having fun with a friend, Chan had been </span>
  <em>
    <span>falling in love with him</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I remember.” It came out strangely quiet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan looked up, clearly trying to assess the damage by studying Changbin’s face. “It just clicked for me back then. You were sleeping on my shoulder and I just thought that that was </span>
  <em>
    <span>it</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” He bit his lip. “But it was clear that nothing changed for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wished he had something comforting to say, but Chan didn’t even give him the time to try and say something.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was going to tell you at the party, but you got </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> drunk before I got to get you alone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Changbin blushed; he had been </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> happy that day, in his defense, and he had never been the type to say no when someone yelled for shots. He couldn’t imagine what it had to have been like for Chan when he sat in his lap that day and started kissing him, spurred on by some dumb joke Jisung made about “kissing your homies”.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He just kissed Chan </span>
  <em>
    <span>for fun</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He had sex with him because he was drunk, Chan was hot and he didn’t feel like going home alone. And Chan just </span>
  <em>
    <span>let him</span>
  </em>
  <span>?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Were you even drunk at all when it happened?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan nodded. “I was wasted, too. I didn’t lie about that.” He rubbed at his forearm awkwardly. “I was going to tell you that morning, too, but then you said you wouldn’t mind doing it sober and I just.” Chan dropped his face into his hands and rubbed at it roughly. “I panicked. I couldn’t just </span>
  <em>
    <span>unload</span>
  </em>
  <span> twelve months of my feelings on you while we were both hungover in your bed.” He gave Changbin a pained look. “But I couldn’t just keep going with this without telling you. It wouldn’t be fair to pretend this is just casual for me while I felt way more strongly about you than you did about me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Changbin’s heart was in his throat. He didn’t know what to say; didn’t know what to feel. His brain was scrambling to go through all the memories of hanging out with Chan this past year, trying to find any obvious hints that he missed, anything that would make this sound more real. Chan had always treated him the same though, didn’t he? He had never made it a secret that he thought Changbin was funny and talented no matter how much he liked to tease him in the same breath, so when platonic compliments became romantic, the shift was almost imperceptible.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Why was the thought of Chan </span>
  <em>
    <span>in love with him</span>
  </em>
  <span> so much more incomprehensible than the thought of Chan </span>
  <em>
    <span>interested in him</span>
  </em>
  <span>? That was the goal of what they were doing before anyway, wasn’t it? Going on dates, seeing if they couldn’t develop the exact same feelings Chan had just confessed to feeling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan just got there a little bit earlier.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>One scene in particular kept sticking in his mind; a red-nosed Chan back at the ski lodge, with tears in his eyes from laughing too hard, a stick hanging from the collar of his jacked from where Changbin last attacked him with a handful of snow, smiling at him from barely a few inches away, holding his face in his hands with his palms full of freezing snow, but in that moment Changbin was temporarily distracted by how </span>
  <em>
    <span>handsome</span>
  </em>
  <span> Chan looked just then to care. By how much he wanted him to lean down and press a kiss against his chapped lips. The moment had been over all too soon, the quickly melting snow pouring down under his collar a rude awakening to reality, but it was memorable enough for Changbin to be able to recall it even now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked at Chan, right in front of him, right now; clearly struggling to keep his composure up, pressing his lips together, waiting for his verdict, his mouth still too red… and he wanted nothing more than to have Chan press those lips against his instead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Chan…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If it makes you uncomfortable, we can stop. It’s okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Chan</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” He reached out, and put his hand over Chan’s.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan stared at it for a long time, before meeting Changbin’s eyes. “Yeah?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Will you get over here and kiss me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was worth seeing Chan’s shoulders rise again, and his face light up with joy again. He was so, so fucking </span>
  <em>
    <span>breathtaking</span>
  </em>
  <span> when he smiled. Changbin couldn’t regret a damn </span>
  <em>
    <span>thing</span>
  </em>
  <span> when Chan came to stand between his legs and held his face, a much warmer reflection of the moment Changbin couldn’t get himself to forget.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then they were kissing, Chan smiling into it too much for it to be the best kiss of Changbin’s life, but there was </span>
  <em>
    <span>something</span>
  </em>
  <span> to feeling the tension melt out of Chan as he wound his arms around him, feeling the huff of air that wasn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>quite</span>
  </em>
  <span> a laugh but felt like one on his face, to seeing Chan’s eyes when he pulled back for a second and seeing nothing but endless </span>
  <em>
    <span>warmth</span>
  </em>
  <span> in them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could get used to this. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>wanted</span>
  </em>
  <span> to get used to this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan kissed him again, chaste but lingering, then smiled wider than Changbin had probably ever seen him smile before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So is that a yes on a third date?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He laughed so hard he had to lean his head against Chan’s chest to steady himself, but only answered once he calmed down and pulled Chan even closer than before. “It’s a definite maybe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s holding you back?” Chan’s eyes were </span>
  <em>
    <span>sparkling</span>
  </em>
  <span> and Changbin couldn’t tear his own away from them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m still waiting to see if you lied about being able to cook.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan stifled his laugh against Changbin’s mouth.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi! I hope you enjoyed this work! If you did, please consider checking <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29253738">this work</a> out as well! It's for the same ship, it's wonderfully written, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it as well!</p><p>Thank you for reading! 💕</p></blockquote></div></div>
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